Like a Flash of Lightning in Total Darkness
by IronChainDragon
Summary: In which a different substitute for Miss Madeleine is chosen, Will-o-Wisp Academy is down two more teachers, and the older generation does more than just commiserate. Despite that, very little changes.
1. To Build a Future

Daichi: Today I learned that it is entirely possible to enjoy writing a generic character created for a one-shot. So here it is- Cheese actually having an effect on the story beyond existing in the background.

Verity: We don't own Magical Vacation/Starsign.

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Will-o-Wisp Academy existed to teach young mages. It had been in existence for several generations of non-magic users, and turned out many classes whose students would one day aspire to greatness.

One class in particular. Miss Madeleine taught a great many students, and one year, said students banded together to defeat creatures known as the Enigma. That was eight-hundred years ago, and said students had since gone on to chase their own dreams.

Such as Cheese, a woman who made friends with spirits, and wielded the power of electricity. Even now, centuries later as she taught her own students, she found herself playing with lightning when scared or confused. Once upon a time, even after the Enigma were defeated, she had continued to lead her classmates as an adventuring party alongside Ganache Nighthawk, an acclaimed user of Dark Magic.

But that was a long time ago. Those with the power to control machines were rare, and those that weren't machines themselves, rarer yet. There were a number of ruins across Kovomaka, and Cheese and Ganache had led their friends into one with such a mage inside. He had been hostile, and they fought a harsh battle, of which the class came out the victors.

Sort of, anyway. One of the classmates had been a robot named Mokka. The other mage had ensnared him, and turned him against the party, before causing the ruins to cave in on them after his defeat. It had taken a long time for their friend to be dug out of the ruins, even longer for Principal Biscotti to fix him. By that point, the rest of them had gone their separate ways, with the exception of Cheese and Pistachio, who had taken up teaching in the passing centuries.

His memory could not be restored. So he had been re-initiated into the Academy, and Cheese and Pistachio took to avoiding him. They'd informed their old classmates, who they'd kept in contact with, and life moved on. For the most part.

Things had changed recently, though. Cheese's old friends had begun to drop off the map, which while not too worrying on its own- they were still adventurous spirits, after all- was a problem when none of them came back. The worst part was Lemon and Blueberry, who had disappeared as a pair.

Still, while she was worried, she figured they could take care of themselves. She had her own job, her own responsibilities, and was perfectly fine with staying at the Academy, at least for the time being. The school needed security after news had broken of the Valencia Beach debacle, and while she'd helped to program Magic Dolls to act as that security, she was still one of the best fighters on staff, there to protect the students.

This led up to the present day, in which she and Pistachio were both standing in front of Principal Biscotti. "You asked for me, sir?" She asked. She could understand why Pistachio was there- he was a substitute teacher, he needed to get assignments from somewhere- but she'd been doing her job the same as always.

The principal, who she'd never quite forgiven for turning her class into a group of child soldiers, adjusted the paper on his desk. "A few days ago, we got a report from your old friend Ganache. He came across a rather powerful Light Mage- Kale Ashpot."

"Ashpot... Sesame's cousin? The one that helped him and Cabernet with their terrarium?" Pistachio asked. "That Kale?"

"Yes. Apparently, since leaving Kovomaka, he fell in with a gang of space pirates, and has been leading them in terrorizing the planet. Mr. Nighthawk requested backup, so I'm sending Miss Madeleine in his direction. I would like Cheese to take over her classes in the time being, and for you to handle hers."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to have me-"

"With your teaching style?" Cheese asked. "I teach advanced students, who can actually keep up with the kind of things you say. You're my best friend, but... you tend to forget that not everyone had summer camp on Valencia Beach. No offense."

"None taken. But what about your students?" For whatever reason, anyone who took classes Cheese offered tended to come out with less than total respect for authority.

She denied being the cause, of course, but nobody believed her. It was common knowledge that what happened on Valencia Beach had destroyed her trust in that generation's adults- even Miss Madeleine, who she still respected a great deal. So she passed on to her students the knowledge that authority figures didn't always have their best interests at heart, and maybe they learned that lesson just a little bit too well, but that was better, to her, than seeing them get hurt.

She shrugged. "Well, I'll still drop in on you from time to time- not all the classes overlap. And my students know you from all the times you've visited me. Besides, you're the strongest Wood Mage on the planet. Unless you're saying you can't deal with children?"

"That's not what I said at all!" But she'd issued the challenge, and Pistachio had to accept it, because that was just the way things worked with them.

The next day, Cheese would move to teaching Miss Madeleine's class.

A week later, Ganache dropped off the map.

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Sundae wasn't sure what to expect. With Miss Madeleine gone, the class would be getting a new teacher. Perhaps Professor Pistachio, who'd been in a few times while their normal teacher was out sick, but he was... not a teacher she'd like to have.

Fortunately, they didn't get Professor Pistachio. Their new teacher was a woman who looked a good deal like her, but dressed in red and with short hair. For some reason, the air in the classroom seemed to be covered with static electricity. The new teacher, upon the ringing of the bell, turned to look at the class, her gaze taking in all of them, though, for some reason, it didn't linger on Mokka for very long.

"Hello, class. I'm Miss Cheese, a Lightning Mage and your teacher from this day forward. I'm seeing a lot of new faces in the crowd, but then, this is a beginner class. So let's try and get to know each other, okay?"

She wasn't sure what she should have expected. But this woman, with eyes that seemed haunted- and she knew what that looked like, her whole family used Dark Magic, herself included- didn't fit any of those categories.

Only time would tell whether that was a good or bad thing.

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Daichi: And so it begins. I've never really been able to see Pistachio being as cruel as the students say he is- they're just students, after all- but given how... different... his education was, my theory is that he's just not good at teaching the basics, which fits in somewhat with his self-confidence issues in Vacation. He tries too hard to teach, and the students come off not learning anything. He's great with the advanced classes, though. Whole reason he's employed.


	2. To Deny a Dream

Daichi: Cheese's teaching methods are… unique. As are her chosen topics. But at least her tangents are educational!

Verity: We don't own this.

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Cheese stood at the front of her class, for a moment wondering what she was going to teach them today. She remembered what Miss Madeleine had taught her, but that class had been… different, in a way she hoped no class she ever taught would be.

Actually, that was an idea.

"Today, class, we will be delving into history," She decided, already pulling out her old notes on the subject- the most accurate resource when it came to this kind of thing. "Does anyone here know what an Enigma is?"

It was a user of Water Magic, Sorbet, who answered. "Enigma are creatures of Dark Magic that have been considered extinct on Kovomaka ever since a pair of wars fought against them eight centuries ago. Known powers include the summoning of dark spirits and possession."

"That is correct, Sorbet. After the second war, Enigma don't dare set foot on this planet. They may still exist elsewhere in the solar system, but they haven't returned here." Something she, as one of the ones to drive them out, was particularly proud of.

"Then why are we learning about them?" Pico, a user of Fire Magic, asked, though he didn't seem to be paying that much attention.

"Because the major players on our side from back then are still alive, and the strongest mages in the solar system?" Another student suggested. Huh. She'd known she was the strongest on Kovomaka, but if the rest couldn't compare to her friends… Actually, that made their disappearances even more concerning.

"...Partially," She decided, because in a way, it really was. "The Enigma were dangerous opponents, even for a class of absurdly talented teenagers- and we were teenagers, for the most part. I'm pretty sure Olive Tearclown was the only one of us who wasn't, but I'm not sure. It was a long time ago."

"You fought the Enigma?" That was Chai, the only salamander student in Will-o-Wisp. A lucky find, that one. Cheese would have to keep an eye on him. "Cool."

She couldn't help but smile a little at that. It had been a long time since the days of simple hero worship, but a lot of that was likely because she never left the school. Besides, of the two of them, Ganache had always been the more visible. Mostly because he could actually bring himself to speak in public. Social awkwardness had killed a lot of her potential for fame.

"I'm glad you think that. It wasn't that much fun for us, but war never is. We were thrown in head-first because none of the adults could be trusted. Back then, roughly a fifth of the Academy graduates had fused with an Enigma."

"Did that include anyone you knew?" Okay, so maybe allowing the students to ask any question they wanted wasn't the best idea. But if she didn't do that, they wouldn't be able to learn as much as they wanted. And given that one of them knowing some obscure tidbit or other had saved their lives more often than she could count, Cheese saw the benefit of letting them learn whatever they wanted. To a point.

"...Given the percentages, I'm not sure anyone on the planet had no Enigma-possessed friends or acquaintances." There. Let them make their own conclusions.

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Sundae was always the last to leave the classroom. She didn't really know why- she didn't think she took any longer than the rest of them- but even Mokka seemed to be capable of outspeeding her when it came to getting out the door.

But then, the others weren't Dark Mages. Things hadn't been the best for users of her element before the Enigma, and they certainly weren't getting any easier, even if a Nighthawk had been the face of the fighters from Will-o-Wisp. Add on a pair of overly paranoid parents, and she could consider herself lucky to be just mildly shy. If they'd had their way, she'd be just about incapable of trust.

But being the last to leave the classroom meant interesting things, starting with her almost running into Professor Pistachio on her way out the door.

Now, this itself wasn't a surprise. Professor Pistachio and Miss Cheese were known to be close friends, helped by the fact that they'd been classmates once- which meant that he'd probably fought the Enigma, as well. Something that she wouldn't have expected of him, even if combat magic was known as one of his specialties.

The canis closed the door behind him as he entered the classroom- something he really shouldn't have done, as students at Will-o-Wisp were born eavesdroppers. And Sundae was no exception.

She didn't have ears like Lassi, or simply sensitive hearing like Mokka. What she did have was the ability to cloak herself in shadow so nobody would notice her listening in- and, therefore, not think to jostle her from her spot by the keyhole.

Of course, Professor Pistachio and Miss Cheese had been students there as well- they knew better than to make themselves easily overheard. So she didn't hear as much as she'd hoped, but it was still better than nothing.

Even with how muffled it was, she could still make out some bits. Not that they made any particular sense. Eventually, she gave up and walked away.

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" _She's gone!"_ The lightning spirit confirmed from his spot near the door. Cheese nodded gratefully.

"Thanks, Zappy. Okay, now that that's over with, we can actually talk. Go ahead." It was something they had developed long ago, a necessity for a teacher who encouraged her students to question authority.

"Well, first off, your students are insane," Pistachio started, which wasn't likely to be anywhere near the point, but after knowing each other for more than eight hundred years, they'd picked up some odd private traditions.

"Yes, we know this. Anything else?"

"...I'm worried. Ganache's the second or third strongest mage in the solar system without a doubt, but… Kale uses Light Magic. And if he actually called for backup…" A fair point. Their Dark Mage friend was naturally talented, and constantly driven to improve. His powers had eclipsed theirs the last time they'd checked, and that was two hundred years ago. There was very little that could pose a threat to him anymore.

To get to that level out of nowhere like Kale had… Kale, who had been a middling student at best, though interested in several disciplines of magic, and blessed with the ability to see spirits… There was only one way Cheese could think of to make that happen, and she didn't even want to think about it.

She sighed. "If that's the case, what are we supposed to do about it? The others might have branched out over the centuries, but we've never actually left Kovomaka. If the monsters out there took us by surprise, we'd never even find a single pirate."

"You could be just as powerful as him," Pistachio pointed out. Which was true. She was the world's best user of Lightning Magic for a reason. She had innately known things that even Lemon constantly struggled to grasp.

But that hadn't been enough for Mokka. And while Ganache trained harder to avoid such a thing happening again, Cheese had lost her love of combat. It was fine when she didn't realize the risk- nothing of the sort had happened to anyone currently on the team before- but the incident had ruined that. She would still fight if she had to, but there wasn't any fun in it anymore.

"But I'm not. And we have responsibilities." Sixth place was good enough for her. And, right then, she didn't have any real reason to leave.

What she had was a class full of students that needed her to grade their tests over the weekend. And so, that was exactly what she did.

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BlackGatomon: ...The level curve makes no sense, doesn't it?

Daichi: Once you realize magician lifespans are likely measured in millennia, standardising that kind of thing becomes sort of impossible, especially when dealing with returning characters. On the bright side, we should be leaving Kovomaka in the next chapter, and seeing some more of Sundae. Before she actually becomes a traumatized mess.


	3. Opening the Door to the World

Daichi: Now, to leave the constraints of Kovomaka for the world beyond! ...Eventually.

Verity: We don't own this stuff. Now, back to Will-o-Wisp Academy.

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In the time since Miss Cheese had taught about the Enigma, Sundae had taken to studying more recent history- more specifically, about the powerful mages that were able to drive away such creatures despite their youth.

Cheese herself had little information published about her, though she was widely considered the foremost expert on Lightning Magic and friendship with spirits. Nothing that Sundae didn't already know, though she didn't have the ability to witness the second one first hand. The ability to see spirits would likely be forever beyond her grasp.

Her more well-known classmates, however, were much more interesting. The puppet that could place debilitating or deadly poisons with a single touch. The Love Mage who could heal all ills with but a word. The woman whose very presence caused nearby instruments to play in harmony. One who could read minds and command even the most wild of animals.

And those were the less impressive powers. There was also a man who called forth powerful blades from nothing, wielding them with the skill of ages. A user of Wind Magic whose foes could never escape, for she could track anyone who had ever stepped into one of her storms. And the most powerful of them all, the strongest Dark Mage known to exist.

Ganache Nighthawk. The apparent leader of the group, and the one who spoke for them, who displayed greater powers than most had the potential to match, let alone the drive to actually do so. Even without unlocking his Dark Starsign, and the ability to gain power from the night with it, there appeared to be no art of darkness that he could not perform, no act of magic that he did not know of. A true master.

It had been centuries since the man was last seen on Kovomaka, but in the Dark Magic community, his name was well known. Most saw him as a way of recovering their element's damaged reputation.

Sundae was fascinated for a very different reason. For the longest time, it had seemed like both an unlocked Starsign and the ability to see spirits were required to become a famed user of either Dark or Light Magic. Even now, they saw her, not blessed with that power, and dismissed her from mind.

But he had proven otherwise. Despite refusing to unlock a full half of his potential power, his skill could not be ignored, and he had eventually left the planet not to escape from the past, like some of them did, but to test himself.

If one without an active Starsign could attain such power… then maybe one without spirits could do so as well. She hoped she could. Perhaps then her family would stop seeing her as a waste of tuition, lacking the innate talent that her cousins possessed. The same cousins that were consistently failing the theoretical portion of their classes.

Portions that Sundae excelled at. Not that it mattered. For Dark Mages, power was everything. Especially within the long family lines. But that wouldn't stop her from dreaming of one day finding what she was meant to do.

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She was still reading when the others came in, claiming that they had lost Lassi. The book- a biography on Chocolat Cracks, who had moved to Erd shortly after Ganache left the planet- fell to the ground as she stood up.

"What do you mean you lost her?" This could never be a good thing. The rabbit girl was flighty, as befitting of her element, and those she spent time with were told never to look away from her, for fear that her energy would somehow cause the apocalypse.

Sundae was pretty sure they were joking about that, but it never hurt to be careful.

"Well, at first it was normal, we were talking about Miss Madeleine and how she's been gone for a while… we mentioned that there wasn't even a way we know of to Puffoon… and then she ran off yelling something about a rocket."

"You mean like that prank they always pull on the new students?" She asked, just to be sure.

Pico laughed. "Yeah, I remember that. They all waited for you in the necromancy lab just to jump out at you when you wandered in looking for a rocket."

"For the last time, Pico, we don't have a necromancy lab," Sorbet sighed. "It's a ritual room."

"Do you really think she found an actual rocket?" Chai's voice was full of excitement.

It soon became apparent to Sundae what she was going to do today. Well. She'd always wanted to see Puffoon.

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Even as the school began to shake, Cheese kept her cool. There were other rockets available for rent, her savings from her adventures had been gaining interest in the bank since she was twenty, and honestly, she'd felt worse earthquakes.

"Principal Biscotti," She stated, as flatly as she could. "I assume you've noticed that the students have reached the attic."

"Yes, I had gathered from-" There was a thud as the clock hands hit the ground. "From the general panic out in the halls."

"I believe they are heading for Puffoon." Of course they were. Where else would they go? "Sir, a long time ago, in return for fighting in your war, you offered each of my class one favor, if it would be within your power."

Of the class, only she, Peche, Candy, and Ganache had not used theirs. Peche because she didn't see the need for any reward. Candy because she didn't feel she deserved it.

Cheese and Ganache wished to live life by their own merits. He had fought opponents and hunted for treasure until he had enough for his rocket. She had simply studied magic until she was good enough to teach it.

"You wish to leave."

"I wish to protect my students. And to find my friends. We both know there's a reason that Candy was the first to disappear. They wouldn't want her using her powers to find the others. If they've gotten into trouble… It's my duty as co-leader to help them out of it."

"Will you be coming back?"

"Eventually." Will-o-Wisp was her home, after all. The only place that she felt she belonged, after her village had exiled her. After the war, they had tried to take her back, but she'd had enough of being a chess piece. Becoming a political pawn was far from in her best interests. "But not until I've at least attempted to prevent the tragedies of eight hundred years ago from repeating themselves."

Mokka, stuck under those rocks for centuries where even Candy couldn't properly find him. Olive, scarred by the thoughts of the monsters that they had encountered, to the point that, even now, even when surrounded by nothing but good things and friends, she could barely speak. Candy, who was left unable to use most of her magic for years, and even now only had access to a fraction of what she could have.

Herself and Ganache, forced to make decisions that they never should have at that age, forever haunted by the deaths they had been responsible for. Pistachio, unsure of his own morality, when the moment that he found his self-confidence was so tainted by blood. Cidre and Arancia, doubting in their arts when such wonder had been used for such terrible things. Cassis, always up for a spar, having months when he couldn't even look at a blade.

This was what the world had done to them. What it could do to those kids, if there wasn't anybody to help them. Perhaps even if there was.

But she'd still try.

"...Very well. And if I'll have to find a fill-in anyway, take Pistachio with you. If only so you have someone flying the rocket."

"You think I can't do it by myself?"

"I know that most machines you touch tend to short-circuit." Fair. She wouldn't be the last one to admit that she was basically living techbane. Mokka and the dolls had only ever survived close contact with her due to their powerful magic.

"Fine. I will. And…" She paused, because she didn't know if she could say it. But she'd said worse things, done worse things, her teenage years a rich tapestry of regrets and shattered innocence. Compared to that, this was nothing. "Thank you."

And with that, Cheese and Pistachio left Kovomaka for the very first time.

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Daichi: And then she short-circuits her rocket, forcing Pistachio to make an emergency landing on Erd. It turns out that passively filling the air with static electricity isn't always a good thing, who knew?


	4. New Arrivals on a New Planet

Daichi: So let's see what happens when two of the most feared mages on Kovomaka arrive on Erd… oh, and Sundae and Lassi, too.

Verity: Don't own this. Otherwise, the two games would be more integrated than three characters and an optional mention.

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Sundae hurt all over. Which made sense, given as how she'd had no clue how to control a rocket, let alone figure out how to land.

Also the sandstorm. And it was the middle of the night, which given that the weather indicated they were in a desert, meant the possibility of much more dangerous predators. Fortunately, as a Dark Mage, she was one of them.

Not that any of the other night predators were likely to come out in this weather. The only reason Sundae was even considering leaving the shelter that her rocket provided was the fact that she knew Lassi had landed nearby.

She still hesitated, of course. While she herself hadn't been very hurt, Lassi had collided with a meteor earlier. In a way, she was scared of what she might find.

The combination of sand and darkness meant that, for anyone else, navigation would be impossible. But Sundae's place was in the night, the soft glow of an active Starsign being all that she needed to see through the storm.

The other rocket- or, at least something of that general shape- was right at the edge of her vision. Easy to reach on Kovomaka. On this flat expanse, probably not so much. Not when she was still sore from the crash.

Quickly, she turned and checked her own wreck. The healing device wasn't working, but the emergency rations- ten green frogs and two bottles of water- were still there.

Sundae ate one of the frogs, just enough to stay on her feet, and took a few sips from one of the water bottles. It would probably have done more good to conserve supplies, but she was sure they could find more food eventually. Right then, she was more concerned with making the sprint to the other rocket, and seeing what was there.

It was just a straight line between the two, right? Right.

With that thought in mind, she took off across the surface of Erd, tripping only once on the way to her goal.

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"...Okay, in hindsight, we should have expected this," Cheese admitted. Fortunately, the emergency landing had gone rather smoothly, if only due to Pistachio having practiced earlier just in case such a situation came up.

"Trust me, I'm not surprised," Pistachio replied. "Also, I don't think this is salvageable. Partly because we're not rocket scientists, and partly because I'm afraid, if I touch the engine, it's going to explode. You really did a number on it."

"...Yeah, anything electronic that I touch should probably be magically reinforced," She sighed. "And this sandstorm doesn't help the situation at all, even not counting the fact that it wreaks havoc with my electricity… did you hear that?"

They both paused to listen for a moment. A constant, metallic clunking sound.

"Robots," Pistachio stated in a low tone. "Has to be."

That it did. They were on Erd, after all. And if there were any doubts, the shapes emerging through the sand with glowing red eyes quickly silenced them… along with everything else.

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"Note to self," Cheese mumbled, glancing around the jail cell she'd found herself in. "Learn ways to use electricity that don't get disrupted by sandstorms." Sure, she had contact methods, but these robots were much newer models than she was used to, which made finding the weak points… difficult.

On the bright side, while they recognized her as a mage, they couldn't seem to tell what kind she was, which meant not having to worry about having rubber gloves tied to her hands.

Not that she needed her hands free to do magic anymore, but it was the principle of the thing.

" _Cheese! Hey, Cheese!"_ She turned at the sound of the voice, to see a little wood spirit floating around the cell. " _Pistachio sent me to find you!"_

"I see," She replied. For the best. Not all robots could sense spirits, of course, but if they could, letting them know to prepare for electric shocks was never a good thing. "Is there anyone else in the prison?"

" _Yes, two of your students. The Dark Mage and the rabbit."_ Right. She'd have to fix that, then.

"Thank you. I'll be trying to break out on my own now, so go back to Pistachio and tell him to get ready, okay?"

" _Got it!"_ The little spirit turned and flew off, leaving Cheese on her own once again.

Perfect. Time to put her plan into action, as much as it could be called a plan when she'd only been formulating it for three minutes.

The first thing to keep in mind was the pit of spikes. Those poor, foolish robots seemed to think it would suffice in the face of a locked door. Given that their powers over machinery could, under a particularly ingenious mind, be used to pick locks, understandable, but any kind of door would have been much better at keeping her in.

As it was, it was pretty easy for her to poke her head out and take note of her surroundings. Such as the fact that, while doing this on her own would be extremely difficult, she knew exactly how to fix this. There was, after all, only one robot in the prison.

Summoning spirits, to her, was as easy as breathing. Her seven constants in life, at her fingertips with nothing but a touch of magic.

Not that she needed seven of them right now. She rarely needed all seven of them for anything, and on the rare occasion that she did, it was because everything had gone very wrong quite some time back. But it was too easy, to reach into the depths of magic and pull out all the strength she could muster. Strength in numbers, indeed.

No. No, she wouldn't. It was just a group of robots. They weren't worth it. She'd stick to three.

Time to start with the sabotage.

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Sundae wasn't sure how today could have been worse. Well, day was maybe not the right term for it, even going off of subjective time, but it was the best word she could think of at the moment.

She couldn't even tell what time it was, really, given all the artificial lighting. All she knew was that it was currently nighttime, though unless she'd been out for much longer than she thought, it wouldn't be for much longer.

She was distracted from her musings from the sound of something tapping on the wall besides her. "Hey, is anyone there?" A familiar voice asked.

"Lassi." She tried to keep the relief off her face, even though there was nobody to see it. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, besides the whole prison thing. What about you? You took a direct hit!" She winced at the memory. She wasn't sure why she'd tried to shield the rabbit like that, it had just… happened.

"I-I'll be okay." No point in lying too obviously, not when it was still painful to move, and she didn't even think that was all from the electricity. "Do you have any ideas for how we could escape? The most I can think of is blinding them, but I'm pretty sure robots have heat-vision… and it still wouldn't get us out of here."

"I-I could use wind! I could jump over!" Lassi suggested. "And then I'll figure out the walkway!"

"Great," Sundae sighed, sitting down and leaning back against the wall. "Go do that, then."

There wasn't a reply, so she could only assume her friend had done as she was told. A few seconds later, the lights started flickering.

That couldn't be a good sign.

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Daichi: Really, the part about the prison break that makes the least amount of sense is 'Why does the robot wander into the spike pit?' Really. Why?

Vee-Vee: Terrible programming?

Daichi: Okay, that could be one idea...


	5. Freedom

Verity: And now for the obvious question of how the plot can happen when there are responsible adults.

Daichi: Lack of multiple rockets.

Verity: And my complaints are silenced.

Vee-Vee: Reasons we don't own this stuff, outlined above. Planning ahead is not their strong suit.

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Darkness was something Sundae was used to. It was her element, after all, though being in almost complete blackness when she was abovegound and knew that the sun was shining bright rubbed her the wrong way. It was like if someone were to move the planets, to someone who was properly connected with them. It just wasn't right.

Caves were nice because they hid Dark Mages away from the sun. But this prison wasn't nearly far enough away and she could sense the light trying to slip through. Not that it would hurt her, for it was indiscriminate it it's warmth, but being in a darkness she couldn't draw power from had never been something she enjoyed.

So, naturally, the artificial lighting shorting out was one of those things that made her nervous, even not counting the fact that she was in the same building as whatever was causing the problem.

Honestly, the worst part was the immobility. She tried to pick herself up, only for the pain to return, and collapsed back against the cell wall. This was just going to be a terrible day, she could tell already.

She wasn't sure how long passed like this. But eventually there was a whirring sound near her, and she glanced up in surprise, the familiar form of Lassi followed by two other shapes.

"I'm just saying that, of all the ways to get back into adventuring, a jailbreak was never on my list," The canine shape pointed out. The human gave a small laugh, with little humor to it.

"Whatever you say, Pistachio. You're just upset that you can't throw nuts hard enough to crush metal."

"I can too! You just don't appreciate how much magic energy goes into stuff like that! Creating something both large and dense enough to deal with a robot of that size? And you've got one of the more scientific powers!"

"Yes, yes, I know. Brute force doesn't always solve everything, or we probably wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

"Sundae!" Lassi broke away from the pair of teachers, running over to her as if carried by the wind. Knowing Lassi, she probably was.

"Lassi. ...Professor Pistachio, Miss Cheese." What were they doing here? "I guess it's time for us to leave?"

"That's the plan," Professor Pistachio grumbled. "Be easier if someone hadn't fried our rocket, though…" Sundae couldn't see Miss Cheese's face, but she was almost certain that the Lightning Mage was trying to look innocent, and failing miserably.

Of course, as long as they got her some medical attention, she really couldn't care less.

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"Well, well. Look who finally left Kovomaka."

"Hey, Pizza," Cheese greeted weakly, tossing the Warp Master a sugarstar. "Do you know if there's anywhere safe around here? Because one of my students is injured, and we don't exactly have Peche with us."

"The robots?" She nodded. "Right, well, in that case, you'd best get off this cliff. There's a hole nearby, the spiny moles live there. All their magicians are gone, but you don't have to worry about being handed over to pirates."

If it weren't for the fact that Pizza knew just about everything, she'd be concerned. She still was, really. But right now, the children's safety took priority.

"Got it, thanks. I'll make sure to check in every now and again." She paused, before… "No word from Ganache?"

"Does it surprise you at all?"

Cheese forced out a breathless laugh, still sorting through her bag for the frogs she'd kept as a snack. It hurt to give up food, really, but Sundae needed it more right now, if only so she could actually get to the hole.

"Unfortunately. And he was actually getting better about that for a while, still is, really, so…" But no use worrying about something she couldn't change at the moment. Ganache could take care of himself.

Right then, she had others to take care of.

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Of all the things that Sundae had expected when she crash-landed on Erd, being woken up by her teacher and being told that they had an audience with the king of the moles was not on the list. Mostly because her studies hadn't really gone into the populations of other planets, she wasn't the type of person to attract the attention of royalty, and she hadn't expected Miss Cheese to follow her from Kovomaka.

Expectations were misleading, of course. Which was why she was trying to prepare Lassi for the occasion, failing miserably, and glaring at Professor Pistachio when he burst out laughing. Deceptively normal activities, that would lead to a much more important whole.

"What even is my life anymore?" She asked herself, while trying to simultaneously put on a hat and convince a rabbit-girl to run a brush through her fur.

"Welcome to the life of an adventurer," Professor Pistachio told her. "Don't worry too much about what normal used to be- you're never getting it back. Just ask Cheese."

"Just ask me what?" Sundae wasn't sure how her teacher managed to put herself together like that so quickly. Certainly, she wasn't looking the best that she possibly could, but she wasn't too shabby, either.

"Just comparing life before and after Valencia Beach," The Wood Mage stated. Miss Cheese shuddered.

"I'm not sure what was worse- living at the school because nobody else wanted me, or living at the school because the alternative was dealing with the paparazzi. At least the first option let me sometimes leave the grounds to visit friends. And all because I decided to go to summer camp one year."

"So… Lassi has doomed me to a life of excitement?" Sundae checked, just to make sure.

"Looks like it."

Of course she had. Because some things really were too much to ask.

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Daichi: That moment when you realize that barely any change can be enacted until the group recruits Mokka, because he's basically the one thing that everyone has in common.

Verity: Bonding over being friends with a horrifically unlucky robot… in that solar system, probably not too much of a surprise.


	6. Buildup

Daichi: There's bad ideas for things to do with magic. And then there's having the power to get away with it anyway.

Vee-Vee: With widespread electrocution. Don't forget that!

BlackGatomon: We don't own anything.

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From the ages of fourteen to sixteen, Cheese had possessed a taste for adventure. It was, in part, why she was able to get through the disastrous summer camp without suffering a breakdown in the middle of a dangerous situation- she was having too much fun.

Sure, once the adrenaline wore off, all of the actions she took were bound to catch up to her, but it could always wait until she was off the battlefield, and therefore relatively safe. One did not live long if they froze up in the middle of a battle.

Now, at the age of eight-hundred and twenty, she was a fair bit… less enthusiastic about the idea of diving headfirst into danger. Mostly because she'd seen where that got her, and it was… not fun.

Pistachio, too, avoided the situations that they had once sought out, and that many of their former classmates still did, but he hadn't been an adventurous spirit to begin with.

Sundae and Lassi, though… well, they were still just kids. Kids who may have begun to learn about the cruelty of the world, but children nonetheless, and they had not yet become jaded or stricken by guilt.

Cheese got the feeling that might not last. The greater Baklava system was a dangerous place, what with the sapient crime element, wild creatures that tended towards carnivorism more often than not, trapped ruins, and those Enigma that did not live on Kovomaka, and were therefore not wiped out in the second war. Harsh reality was one of those things that couldn't be put off for very long if you wished to traverse it.

Still, she'd rather that not occur before it absolutely had to. And, well… "So you're saying there's this insect big enough to swallow a mole whole in your gummy hunting grounds. And you want my students to go and try to slay the beast." Really, was she the only one that saw a problem here?

"The Book of Darkness says that we shall be saved by heroes of wind and shadow, and the two of them qualify." She wished Candy and Ganache were in contact now so she could throw them at the problem.

...Then again, Candy and Ganache being out of contact was sort of the reason her role in this whole mess started, so it didn't really matter, anyway.

"...We'll do it," Sundae stated, an odd weight behind her words. Maybe it was because she was so quiet, or perhaps it was simply a quality shared by users of Dark Magic. Cheese didn't know, nor was she sure that it mattered.

"Sundae, are you sure about this?" Lassi asked. "I mean, we're kids who just crash-landed a rocket, how are we supposed to fight anything?"

"I can see in the dark, and you have healing powers. Besides, they're just bugs. No big deal, right?"

Cheese sighed. "Sundae, do I need to have a discussion with your parents once we get home?"

"I'd… rather you didn't." The girl fidgeted, and Cheese wondered for a moment if it was normal for Dark Mages to have issues. Between Ganache, Vanilla, and now Sundae, it wouldn't surprise her.

"At least they'll be more prepared than we were?" Pistachio suggested. Like that meant anything. Anyone would be more prepared than they were, when they'd been pulled into the adventuring life.

Hopefully, said preparation would be enough to save them.

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"Shouldn't we be challenging that ant thing?" Sundae asked. Lassi leapt forward, the small twister in her hand uncovering the tasty treats beneath the soil.

"Come on, Sundae! How many times do you get the chance to gather sugarstars like this?"

"...You've never visited a pot village back on Kovomaka, have you?" She wanted to just go to the battle and prove herself. If Miss Cheese and Professor Pistachio didn't think that the Ant Queen was within their bounds of opponents to defeat, well, she'd just have to prove them wrong. And that required getting to the battle.

On the other hand, it was almost dusk… and she'd be stronger then. So maybe waiting wouldn't be that bad a thing after all.

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Cheese sat in the middle of the moles' library, pouring through any book she could find about the greater solar system. She'd always assumed it wouldn't matter to her, with her vested interest in staying at Will-o-Wisp, but then things had happened, and she needed to make up for that.

First step: looking up the various monsters on the planet. Also, several books on conductivity and the like, so that she could further her powers.

Research was something that she took seriously, her vast array of knowledge the main reason she had survived to adulthood, and her friends knew it. In fact, most of them had, at one point or another, followed her lead in the hope that they might learn something useful. As a result, Cheese's research time became sacred, something that nobody would disturb.

Admittedly, the constant field of static around her generally helped with that, though she could never keep it up for long. Just enough that others would know what she was doing, so that they'd know better than to interrupt her hunt for knowledge.

Pistachio, certainly, knew better. So him coming to see her in the middle of a research binge was almost unheard of, and for him to do so now…

"What is it?"

"It's Sundae and Lassi."

"...They ran off, didn't they?" It seemed like something they would have done, as teenagers. And while their teenage experience wasn't exactly typical, there were enough commonalities with the current situation for them to pick up on.

"Yeah…"

"Well. Let's go find them before they get themselves killed." Sure, there was a chance that the girls could find victory. If they had half the strength of a teen Candy or Ganache, Cheese wouldn't even be surprised by it. But it was always better to be safe than sorry.

She, too, would be descending into the ant pit.

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Daichi: If you think this is overkill, you should see what happens to the robots… they have a magical disadvantage.


End file.
